(CLOSED) Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE and VILLAS INFORMATION THREAD ~11/13 - 6/14~

[BubblyTrip]

It may be difficult to get an available date if your trip is a short one. The first available date was for our seventh morning. We had to go to the concierge desk at 8.15am. Ranger Jack took us to the top of the hotel.

Thanks! That will be tool late for us anyway. Maybe on another trip!

 

[PamelaKay]

Hi PamelaKay

Thanks much for responding...

I keep hearing so many good things about WL CL staff, really want to experience it

Wonder if there is a place I could charge ECV, other than our room

If so, that would free up some room space... Saw ECVs charging outside of guest rooms at AKL, however, I'm a worry wart and would be worried the ECV would walk away during the night

I can understand the worry of charging it in the hall. One thing to consider though is that at WL, club level floors are restricted to club level guests only. It is not like the AKL where the club and the club level rooms are on different floors.

 

[ocalla]

Tuesday - Last park day Breakfast today was at Kona: DH ordered Tonga Toast, I had the Fruit plate!!







We then headed out to DHS, straight to TSM and walked on and off in 18 minutes! After we walked off the wait time was up to 70 min at 9:18 in the morning!! We then met 2 other families at RNRC and used our first FP for the day. TOT FP was next and we were all able to ride together We decided on a quick Turkey Leg for lunch, then off to Indiana Jones. while entering, a cast member asked us how many in our party (14 of us!) and led us to the VIP reserved section





One of our party was asked to be in the show!! This was her first visit to DHS, she was so excited. We decided to head back to WL for a little rest, then we met up that evening at DTD for some evening fun. First off, drinks outside at House of Blues! Great music!!! Next was dinner at Bongo's.....Great drinks, Great food had such a nice time.



The kids decided to wanted to try Splitville, so they bowled downstairs, and we headed upstairs for drinks and pool.



What a great way to end our vacation!!!! Can't wait to get back to the Lodge, I highly recommend it to anyone!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Tuesday - Last park day Breakfast today was at Kona: DH ordered Tonga Toast, I had the Fruit plate!!

What a great way to end our vacation!!!! Can't wait to get back to the Lodge, I highly recommend it to anyone!

The fruit plate looks delicious. It just needs a side of bacon and then it would be perfect for me.

I have really enjoyed following along on your vacation. You really know how to have a good time. The Mardi Gras beads add to the festive look.

 

[ocalla]

The fruit plate was so darn good!!! It's a lot more filling than it looks....I couldn't eat the banana bread!!!

We had a great time sharing beads! I think all of Louisiana was there, purple, gold and green everywhere!!!!

Can't wait to start planning our next trip

 

[mouselovenfamily]

I have stayed club level at both AKL and WL and I agree that the rooms are about the same size.

My mother has MS and I took her one year. After doing a bit of research online, I found that the largest sq foot rooms were at the Poly. We stayed club level there and had plenty of space.

The WL club level is the best on property in my opinion. They have the most helpful and friendliest staff and the lodge is very peaceful and relaxing.

Not staying CL but will be there the same time. Hopefully we have great weather. Have fun!!!

 

[TempleOT]

We are counting down to our first WL stay on May 3-10. I was wondering how much the fridges will hold, in terms of half gallons of milk or average size bottles of water?
Thanks!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are counting down to our first WL stay on May 3-10. I was wondering how much the fridges will hold, in terms of half gallons of milk or average size bottles of water?
Thanks!

Here is a picture of the inside of the fridge. As you can see, they aren't very deep. They will hold half gallon bottles and regular size, 16 oz or larger bottles.

 

[Fracfam4]

Hi everyone. This is a wonderful thread for WL. We are considering staying here in November and I was wondering about the boats to and from the MK. Are they able to handle the scooter vehicles?

Are the rooms difficult to fit a scooter in due to their size? Anything else I should consider?

thanks!!!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Hi everyone. This is a wonderful thread for WL. We are considering staying here in November and I was wondering about the boats to and from the MK. Are they able to handle the scooter vehicles? Are the rooms difficult to fit a scooter in due to their size? Anything else I should consider? thanks!!!

They use two sizes of boats on Bay Lake. For the MK route they primarily use the larger ones that accommodate scooters. The smaller boats that do the FW, CR, WL loop are sometimes used for MK as well, but don't fit scooters. It isn't as pretty, but the bus is also a quick option.

The handicapped rooms that have King beds have a decent amount of room. There is a lot of open space in the bathroom, or in front of the connecting door. These rooms are spread out throughout the resort. WL is a very compact resort, and you can get everywhere staying inside, which is nice. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Are the rooms difficult to fit a scooter in due to their size? Anything else I should consider?

thanks!!!

I'm not sure how big a scooter is, but there seems to be enough room in the room next to the television cabinet. This is the wall that would have a connecting door if the room had one. The space is the length of two suitcases placed end to end, so probably about five to six feet long.

 

[jrj]

Great to hear... totally missed that... hmmm charging outside the room might be a viable option... thanks much

I can understand the worry of charging it in the hall. One thing to consider though is that at WL, club level floors are restricted to club level guests only. It is not like the AKL where the club and the club level rooms are on different floors.

 

[TempleOT]

Thank you Wood Nymph!

 

[TaraPA]

Ocalla - I had Tonga Toast at Kona on Tuesday morning too! It seemed like all of LA was there - maybe it was just your large group LOL!!! I have to say we met some of the nicest people vacationing in WDW from LA.

Are there any pics yet of the Villas Refurb?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Sorry for my tardiness with multi-quoting. Crazy week of no school (again) two days this week, late starts, and all those silly things that can take up precious posting time. I did manage to finally re-book our summer trip. We had an August conflict, but I was able to change to late June. We have never been in June so this will be a Disney first! There aren't too many of those left for us.

Great seeing so many new Lodgers​

Could you add me to the roll call? We were originally going to stay at CR but I just love WL so much I couldn't
We will be there Aug 23-30. I have all my dining reserved and cannot wait!!!

I completely understand your conflict and congratulations on booking WL, but don't forget about those split stays

I am about to call to book our package. As far as room requests go I want to say "Inner courtyard view, opening to lobby -OR- king bed room with bathtub". What do you think? Is this being too specific? Too confusing? (I realize requests are not guaranteed, would just love to get either of these rooms types if possible.)

Congratulations on booking!

I just checked the invoice today, apparently im a guy! They wrote Last name/first name/ MR, do u think i should email/call to get it fixed? Or is it no big deal? Hubs thinks its funny but i dun wanna waste time dealing with stuff when we get there!

MR. martinmont,
I don't know how many times I've had an error on that part of the invoice. Once, my DD was Mr. and I've been Mr., too so don't worry about it. I know it looks annoying, but it doesn't impact anything at all.

Just booked today
We are staying June 2 - 9 in a Standard view room

We have been to WDW multiple times, but our first time at WL.

Congratulations and I'll log your dates.

Weird experience this evening at the lodge. Something definetly up with the boats. We went to catch a boat tonite to mk. The Captain of the boat that was on the mk side said it was going to Fort wilderness then onto mk. That's cool. I enjoy the sights. Especially of the old River country. Anyways, the 10 or so of us that boarded the already packed boat were on our way. We get to fw and the captain kicked us off. Told us to get off and go stand in line and reboard. Problem with that was hoop dee doo had just let out. And there had to be atleast 100 people in that line. The few of us stood there and asked if they were serious. The Captain got on the microphone thing and yelled at us to clear his dock. A bunch of us had reservations. I told the other boat guy it was ridiculous. He laughed at me.
So the group of us made our way to fw bus. The "zone 4" bus brought us to mk. We still got there before that boat.
What a wild nite! When going to downtown we stop at gf and don't reboard. Why should that have been different? The attitudes were so rotten.
I wish they would have told us we had to get off at fw. I would have just grabbed the wl bus.
Yikes!
I will say... im head over heels in love with this place. I requested 5 th floor otter pond. I got 4 th floor otter pond. I can see the monorail go by. I can see an absolute gorgeous view of the fireworks from my bed. I can hear the train and the music from mk. Quick walk to the dock and roaring fork. Could not be happier.
I think I found my "home". Minus rotten boat captains lol

Maybe they were doing their afternoon boat direction switcheroo? Sorry about your boat incident, but your view sounds fabulous!

Paid in full this morning and 51 days to go!

Still have a few FP+ selections to make, but all dining has been booked and can't wait to get there.

Yippee! You get our Dancing PIF Guy

Hello everyone

Need some help... we're booked for WL CL and have decided to stay additional days our vacation will now total 11 days {insert Angels singing}

Our first stay at a Disney resort was AKL CL a few months ago {insert Angels again} had a great time and now we are hooked...

I've read that the WL CL rooms are the same size as the AKL CL rooms {is this true?} there are 3 of us {me, DH and DD} and I'll have an ECV... last time, we put the ECV in the bath area to charge each night and it was a little cramped...

Question: since we're staying for a longer period of time, wanted to see if you think we would be cramped in the WL CL room with ECV...

Thanks much

Welcome! You're going to love the OFC

*side note: I'm such a dork and haven't said thank you to all of the posters and regulars here that gave me info on the parks and the WL. We enjoyed our stay so much that the DH is already eyeballing another visit in a few years!*

You're not a dork if you love WL

Here's my VERY tardy TR:

Flew out of Sacramento, CA on Dec 2nd. Man, we were so excited that I ended up with an adrenaline headache while we waited to board. But no worries....we were on our way. Anyone who is familiar with Sac knows that as soon as you taxi to the runway, a quick turn and then you take off. Well, our plane taxied and then turned off, as in powered down. We were stuck with "electrical problems" for hours and they ended up deboarding us because some yahoo in the back shoved a stewardess. My amazing DH got off the first time they allowed it (only 15 mins into the wait) and secured a new flight out of Houston to Orlando. Needless to say, by the time we got to Houston (and I was literally running through the concord) we already knew we'd missed our flight by 4 hours. I ran up to the podium in Houston and was confused...why was our original flight number still up? I ask the obviously exasperated flight attendant. Their flight was delayed...for 4 hours and they are finally boarding! WHAT?! I ask if our seats are still there. Why, yes they are!!!

Got to Orlando soooo late. Checked into the WL after 9 pm and dragged ourselves into the restaurant since we hadn't eaten since breakfast (not good with 2 kids and 2 diabetics). We were so grateful for the staff AND the fact that we had a room right off the lobby; bunk bed room for us and just around the corner, 2 queens for my parents. The next morning, I surprised my family in the lobby; my best friend and her hubby were waiting for us all to share our vacations together. I can't tell you how many times I nearly blew that secret!

Holy moley it was HOT that week!!!!!!! I mean 79-85. Meanwhile, back at home, our housesitter sent us pics of the 4" of snow that fell. It snows here maybe every 3-5 years, so I was sad to miss it, actually! We spent nearly every afternoon or evening at the WL pool to cool off or just wind down.

For the life of me, I cannot remember my room number, but I thought that I'd be so upset with a room that opened to the lobby (my brain said, "It'll be loud and noisy and and and). But it was magical for both me and my family. I adored opening the door to the music. My girls loved watching from the balcony. It was convenient to be so close to the elevators and everything.

The crowds were large; bigger than I'd ever imagine it would be for the first week of December. I was grateful for the snacks, filtered water bottle and backpack style camera bag. We blasted through water. Best snack that we discovered?! Funnel cakes near the Indy show at HS. We wore our powdered sugar with pride.

WL...how I love thee! I was grateful for our upgrade by our TA. I'd stay there every time! Buses were a non-issue, they ran on time and were full when the parks let out or were opening. Only had one heavy footed driver that had all of us passengers laughing because we were jerking around so much and he was so old that he didn't hear us.

Love the tardy TR and thank you for posting. When is your next trip?

Hello everyone! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread! I am planning a visit to DW in November and I am having a problem committing to this hotel. I guess I just need reinforcement. I am going for my 5 year old daughter who will be 6 by the time we visit but it's also for my husbands 50th birthday. So I wanted to upgrade what I could to accommodate him as well. Do you all think I can succeed with both? Any feedback would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Jenn

Welcome, Jenn! Grand Californian posted great reasons to stay at WL. You also have FW right next door and I think your kids would love the ponies and horses and maybe some bike riding around WL and FW would be fun. The Cub's Den might also be nice for a dinner out alone for mom and dad.

I keep hearing so many good things about WL CL staff, really want to experience it

I hope you get to stay at the OFC someday

Super excited to say we will be staying at Wilderness for the first time August 6-15. Our last trip was in May 2013 (Beach Club) and I didn't think we were going to make it to Disney this year but DH came around. It will be us and our two daughters. Youngest will turn 2 on our arrival day and we will also be celebrating our anniversary. I am slowly making my way through the thread but have already gathered great information. Looking forward to a great trip.

Welcome and I'll log your dates. Make sure your anniversary and birthday is noted in your reservation. Happy planning!

The fruit plate was so darn good!!! It's a lot more filling than it looks....I couldn't eat the banana bread!!!

We had a great time sharing beads! I think all of Louisiana was there, purple, gold and green everywhere!!!!

Can't wait to start planning our next trip

Thanks for all your updates and photos! Did you book a BB?

We are counting down to our first WL stay on May 3-10. I was wondering how much the fridges will hold, in terms of half gallons of milk or average size bottles of water?
Thanks!

It won't be long now!

Hi everyone. This is a wonderful thread for WL. We are considering staying here in November and I was wondering about the boats to and from the MK. Are they able to handle the scooter vehicles?

Are the rooms difficult to fit a scooter in due to their size? Anything else I should consider?

thanks!!!

Welcome and thank you for the compliment. I hope you get to book your WL stay soon.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Ocalla - I had Tonga Toast at Kona on Tuesday morning too! It seemed like all of LA was there - maybe it was just your large group LOL!!! I have to say we met some of the nicest people vacationing in WDW from LA.

Are there any pics yet of the Villas Refurb?

The VWL photo links are at the top of Post 2 HERE.

 

[taylor3297]

I have another question and I didn't see an answer for it at the beginning. Forgive me if this has been answered.

Since we only get housekeeping once during out stay, do I need to bring extra toilet paper?

Also, do I need to bring my own dish soap to wash dishes?

 

[WDWKOOK]

I have another question and I didn't see an answer for it at the beginning. Forgive me if this has been answered.

Since we only get housekeeping once during out stay, do I need to bring extra toilet paper?

Also, do I need to bring my own dish soap to wash dishes?

VWL housekeeping on points, pay as you play and cash reservations is described in detail HERE in post 19. On points you receive toilet paper every 4th day, on a cash reservation you receive daily lodgekeeping. Dish soap is provided, too.

 

[taylor3297]

VWL housekeeping on points, pay as you play and cash reservations is described in detail HERE in post 19. On points you receive toilet paper every 4th day, on a cash reservation you receive daily lodgekeeping. Dish soap is provided, too.

Thanks for the info. I do appreciate it.

I guess technically we are staying on points. A friend got us this reservation through her RCI membership. So I paid RCI directly, then I have to pay a small resort fee to Disney when I get there.

Again thanks for the info. I think now I don't need to order extra TP from Garden Grocer.

 

[ocalla]

Ocalla - I had Tonga Toast at Kona on Tuesday morning too! It seemed like all of LA was there - maybe it was just your large group LOL!!! I have to say we met some of the nicest people vacationing in WDW from LA. Are there any pics yet of the Villas Refurb?

What time were you there? It was only DH, DD and I that morning. We sat at 7:30!! Wonder if we saw you?????